


Collegebusters

by Holtzmann1998



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-09-21 22:11:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9569006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Holtzmann1998/pseuds/Holtzmann1998
Summary: You are a college student in your first semester of college. You meet some strange "under cover" doctors and a librarian and quickly become friends with them. What have you gotten yourself into, kid?





	1. First Day of Classes

“I heard she’s dating one of the other doctors here.” A girl whispers to her friend. You play with the buttons on the sleeve of your plaid shirt while you wait on your first college course to start. The sound of buzzing conversations irritates you. You glance at the door to see a woman dressed like an old day school teacher with a brown leather handbag walk in. Her brown hair hangs at her shoulders. She looks more anxious than you feel.  
“A-Alright, everyone, quiet d-down.” She says meekly. No one listens. She tries again. “Class, it’s time to start.” No one notices her. You had enough. You stand up and climb on the chair with your hardcover book under your arm. You slam it down on the table, getting everyone’s attention.  
“I don’t know about y’all, but I paid a pretty penny to come to this school to learn somethin’.” You say to the dead silent room. “Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit if you want to be here or not. You have two options, shut up and listen to the doctor, or leave.” Everyone looks at you as you jump off the chair and sit down. The doctor becomes even more flustered with your outburst.  
“Okay, um, today were going to discuss the syllabus.” She sifts through papers. “I’m Doctor Gilbert.”  
“Is it true your dating a doctor on campus?” A girl asks. You could tell Doctor Gilbert didn’t know how to answer.  
“Is it true you’ve already slept with all the guys on our campus and the neighboring campus?” You shoot at the girl. She glares at you. “Let’s talk about productive things related to this class instead of useless gossip.” You smile at her. For a second you think you see admiration on Doctor Gilberts face. No one dares to say another word the rest of class. Doctor Gilbert discusses the syllabus and then begins the lesson.  
“And that concludes today’s lesson.” Doctor Gilbert says at the end of class. You begin to put your things away, within a minute, everyone except the doctor and you have left. “C-can I speak to you?” She says softly. You nod. She walks over to you from her desk. You notice just how blue her eyes look. “Thank you for your assistance.” She says, not making eye contact.  
“No big deal.” You mumble with a shrug.  
“What’s your next class?” She asks you with a smile, becoming more confident with a one on one conversation.  
“Uh, mathematics with Doctor Abigail Yates.” You look at the schedule written on your hand. Doctor Gilberts eyes light up at the name.  
“Abby is a good friend of mine, I think you’ll enjoy her a lot.” She smiles again, this time bigger.  
“Cool, I’ll have to talk to her or something.” You say with a nod. You adjust your plaid shirt and put on your hat. You begin to leave the room.  
“I look forward to our next class. Don’t forget to do the homework.” Doctor Gilbert calls to you.  
“Thanks, Doctor Gilbert.” You say.  
“Please, call me Erin outside of class.” She says. You nod and walk to the other side of campus for your math class.  
“You’re early.” A short, plump woman says to you without looking up from a book on her desk.  
“Are you Doctor Yates?” You ask, putting your backpack on top of a desk. You don’t bother to make eye contact with her since you’re apparently not worth her time.  
“Yes, I am.” She says, her attention now focused on you. “I thought you were the delivery guy.” She chuckles as she pushes her glasses up on her face. She has blue eyes too.  
“Doctor Gilbert told me you guys were friends.” You say. Doctor Yates smiles.  
“Yes, we’ve been friends for some time. I assume you had her class today?”  
“Yes, I did. She seems lovely, but she needs a lesson in self confidence. Her first day of classes could have gone better.” You say.  
“Oh no. She’s not crying, is she?”  
“She seemed happy when I left. Told me to call her Erin.” You shrug. Doctor Yates looks at you.  
“Then you can call me Abby.” She laughs. “You are Erin’s very first friend since we all came here.”  
“We?” You ask.  
“Erin, Holtzmann, Patty, Kevin, and I all came here together.”  
“Holtzmann? That sounds familiar. I think I have science with her. And I think Patty is a librarian here. I don’t know about a Kevin. Is he a professor?” Abby let’s out a loud laugh.  
“I think he’s lost in the underground tunnels. There’s a ton of them that connect all the buildings together.”  
“That’s actually kinda cool.” You mumble. More people begin to file into the room and your conversation ends there. Once everyone arrives, Abby begins talking.  
“Alright, guys. This is math, and simple math at that. Here’s the syllabus, look it over, and that’s al the have for ya. Once you get a copy, you can go.” She says quickly. She hands you a packet. You look at it, in the corner, there’s a message written.  
“If you’re up to it, join us for lunch today. We’ll be in Holtz’s lab.” You look at Abby. She smiles at you. You nod towards the paper and smile. She gives you a thumbs up and you leave. You realize that you don’t even know where the lab is, but you figure you’ll ask the librarian. You walk towards the center of the campus and to a large building and walk in the double doors.  
“Hey, come here often?” A tall black woman smiles to you.  
“Uh, yeah, I do.” You say quickly. It was already your fourth time in the library that day. You walk up to her wooden desk. “Have you seen a woman named Patty? She’s a librarian here.”  
“I’m Patty, Patty Tolan.” She holds out her hand to you. “What can I help ya with?”  
“I’m apparently joining you guys for lunch. Uh, Abby invited me.”  
“Oh, okay! Cool!”  
“How do I get to Doctor Holtzmann’s lab?” You ask her.  
“Abby didn’t give you the details?” You hand her the syllabus that has the invitation written on it. She rolls her eyes as she hands the paper back to you. “Of course she left out the important stuff. We’re all just about to meet up. Follow me.” She gets up from her desk and walks toward one of the many exits in the library. You follow behind her.  
“Where are we going?” You ask.  
“This is the underground tunnel. It goes to every single building on campus from Holtz’s lab to the cafeteria to the math building to the janitors closets. It’s all down here.” She gestures towards the dimly lit concrete tunnel.  
“That’s awesome.” You say in awe. “It’s like the catacombs.”  
“Except no dead bodies.” Patty let’s out a laugh. You look around the tunnel in awe as Patty leads you though it to a metal door. “This is Holtz’s lab. It’s the Science building, but Holtzmann dominates over it.” She pushes open the door and walks into the elevator next to the door. She takes you up to the lop floor.  
“Hello, Patty.” Erin greeted her when the doors opened.  
“Hey, baby. I brought our new friend.” She gestures to you as the two of you step out of the elevator. The whole floor has been turned into some kind of science lab, wires and creations are scattered everywhere.  
“This place is awesome.” You mumble as you shrug off you bag. You walk over to a table and look at the experiments on it. You gently touch the metal surface of one.  
“Hey, don’t touch.” A blond with wild hair and yellow glasses suddenly pops up from the other side of the table.  
“Shit! You startled me.” You say as you jump back.  
“She gets that a lot.” Patty says bluntly.  
“Hey, kid!” Abby smiles to you as she walks through the elevator with a huge bag of takeout food. She sets it on the one empty table in the room. “Guys, this is the kid that Erin made friends with.”  
“Awe, our little Erin made a friend!” The blonde walks over to Erin and begins poking at her playfully.  
“Stop it, stop, I’m ticklish!” Erin says in protest.  
“Knock it off, lovebirds.” Patty rolls her eyes.  
“So, um, how do you guys know each other?” You ask as you follow them to the table. You sit next to the blonde, who you assume is Doctor Holtzmann. Patty sits on the other side of you, Abby is next to her, and Erin is between Abby and Doctor Holtzmann.  
“We lived in New York. We’ve been working together for a while. Right now, we’re here on an undercover job.” Doctor Holtzmann says. “I’m Holtzmann, by the way.”  
“Undercover job?” You ask.  
“Hey, your southern accent is gone.” Erin says, surprised.  
“We’re investigating some paranormal disturbances.” Abby says. You nod, unsure of what to think.  
“The accent is fake, it makes me seem weird to everyone and they therefore want nothing to do with me.” You shrug to Erin.  
“I love doing accents. I do them all the time!” Holtzmann grins. “I like you, Kid.” She smiles.  
“We are Ghostbusters, we spend out time investigating ghosts.” Patty says. “We’re here trying to deal with some entities on this campus.” You were silent.  
“Uh oh, here we go.” Abby mumbled.  
“Feel free to laugh at us.” Erin sighed.  
“I think it’s fascinating. I want to join.” You smile.  
“You’re goanna be my mini me. Can I keep her?” Holtzmann smiles.  
“You can’t keep students.” Patty says. “Just like ghosts, they aren’t pets.”  
“Why can’t she keep me? I don’t have an owner.” You wink at her. Her smile turns into a grin.  
“I like her.”  
“That doesn’t take much, Holtz. You fell in love with Pringles.” Abby smiled as she passed out containers of takeout. “Kid, you don’t know what you’re getting into.”  
“So what? I bet you guys didn't know what you were getting into when you first started. I don't know a lot about the science behind this stuff, but I know I'm a college kid no one cares about. I can roam around weird places and no one will think much of it. If you guys did that, you'd attract attention.”  
“She's got a point.” Patty looked at the other girls.  
“Alright, you're in.” Abby shrugged.  
“Come, my pet, I must show you my inventions.” Holtzmann grinned. She took her food in one hand, your arm in the other, and drug you to her work bench. For the rest of the afternoon, she talks to you about her creations.  
“What is this little one?” You ask, pointing to a small device. Holtzmann’s eyes light up.  
“This one is in beta. Here, clip it onto your neck.” She hands it to you.  
“It won't explode, will it?” You ask as you take the device.  
“No. Maybe. I'm not sure.” She says. “It's basically a ghost containment device, miniaturized. It also has a bunch of other stuff too, but I'll have to tell you all that later because we have a class in a few minutes downstairs.” She comes to your side of the cluttered desk. She takes a piece of string from a large spool and slides it though a small hole in the device. She then cuts the string and ties it around your neck. She places an arm around your shoulder. “Let's get to class.” She winks.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, kid, come here.” Holtzmann waves to you as you join the doctors and librarian for lunch again. You spend most of your time with them, you're always around one of them. They kind of watch over you. Erin, Holtzmann, and Abby watch over you in their classes and Patty watches over you when you're in the library.  
“I have a name.” You roll your eyes as you set your bag down and walk over the the bench. You sit in the chair Holtzmann put here for you a few weeks ago. “What up, blonde wonder?” You smile.  
“Watch this.” She takes the contraption from your neck and presses a button. Suddenly, five things buzz on Holtzmann’s workbench.  
“You created a safety button.” You say. “Nice, but I don't need a safety device.” You look at her.   
“But it's cool.” She smiles. She leans in close. “Right?” The setting sun makes her eyes shine through the yellow lenses.  
“Absolutely.” You smile.   
“I thought you'd like it. I was thinking of making one for Kevin, but it'd be wasted on him.”  
“I still haven't met him yet.”  
“Huh, I haven't seen him in a while either. Lets go search. I'll cancel class.” Holtzmann jumps up and quickly sends out an Email.  
“Isn't that irresponsible?” You can't help but smile.   
“I'm a lot of things.” She looks at you sternly. “Irresponsible is obviously one.” She grins. “Come, my pet! We need to find an idiot!” She hurried out of the room. You throw on your hat and follow her into the elevator. She pulls a device out of her pocket as the doors close. “He's somewhere in the tunnel.”  
“He must like it down there.”  
“No, he's just really stupid and gets lost easily. I sent you a picture.”   
“Alright then.” You say, mostly to yourself. The elevator stops moving and the doors open.   
“You go that way, I'll go this way, and we'll meet at the library and prank Patty.” Holtzmann smiles. You nod and head in the direction Holtzmann told you to. You look at the picture on your phone.  
“If I were straight, I'd date him.” You say to yourself as you begin to wander one of the many passages in the cement tunnel. You hear people walking behind you, but assume is just other students who won't notice you.   
“Hey, it's the dyke!” A boy says. You don't acknowledge him.  
“She's slept with all those weird professors and the library nerd.” A girl says.   
“What's the matter, dyke? You don't want to tell us about whoring around with professors for good grades?” Suddenly a boy grabs the hat off your head. You spin around to see three boys and a girl. One boy, obviously an athlete, is holding you favorite hat.  
“Give it back.” You glare at him.  
“Ooh, look at the ugly necklace. Probably a gift from that weird dyke, the one that sleeps with the weird one.” The girl sneers. She reaches out to touch the contraption and you instantly slap her hand away harder than you should.   
“Aye, dyke, don't touch my girl!” Another athlete says as he pushes you. You punch him in the jaw, feeling and hearing something pop in the process. He glares at you.   
“Don’t touch me.” You say. A forth boy comes up behind you and pins your arms to your sides.   
“Can't hit back now, dyke.” The third boy says. The second boy punches you in the stomach. You fall to the ground as the forth boy drops you. The girl then kicks you in the center of your chest and continues to kick your ribs. They continue to attack you. You don't know how long they continue, you eventually black out.  
“Hey, she's waking up!” You hear someone say. You take a deep breath and instantly regret it. You curl into a ball and breathe as little as possible. Everything hurts.   
“No, no, no. You can't do that, mini me. You have to lay straight.” Someone fights you out of your position. You feel your body tense up the whole time they touch you. “It's Mama Holtzy, I'm not going to hurt you.” You blink open your eyes to see Abby, Patty, Erin, Holtzmann, and Kevin looking down at you. You're laying on one of Holtzmann’s workbenches.   
“Yo, what up?” You say weakly. Holtzmann runs her hands through your hair. It feels weird, but nice.   
“Who did this to you?”  
“Patty’s goanna kill a bitch. Holtzmann, where's that metal pipe you have?” Patty asked fiercely.   
“A chick and like four dudes. Maybe more came later, I don't know.” You say as you hide your pain. You force yourself to breath normally even though it hurts like hell. You sit up and look at everyone. “How'd I get here?”  
“That little creation of mine monitors heart rate and adrenaline levels.” Holtzmann says. “Lay back down.” You don't.   
“Tell me what happened. I'll fill out a report and-”  
“No!” You cut her off everyone looks at you. “No reports. We tell no one. They're jocks so it won't help anything. I'm a nobody anyway, schools only care if a somebody got beat up.” You glance at your wrists. “That's how it always goes. Even if it does get to them, they won't do anything about it.” You sigh.   
“At least tell us what happened.” Erin insisted.   
“I was in the tunnel and then a dude took my hat.” You were disappointed to see it was nowhere in sight. You felt like crying you loved that hat. You forced yourself to bottle that emotion. “A girl went to touch Holtzmann's creation and I slapped her hand away, then a different guy pushed me me I punched him. A guy appeared from behind me and held my arms while not her guy punched me me then they all went at it at once hen they got me on the ground.”  
“After that?”  
“I don't know, I guess I pass out.” You shrug.   
“Patty going to kill some bitches.” Patty growled.  
“I recommend this device.” Holtzmann holds up a small object the size of a button. “Stick it to their library book and detonate it when they leave.” She smiles.   
“Why're you creating explosives? We're on a college campus with tons of kids like Kevin!” Abby says, looking at the mini-bomb.   
“You can't blow up students.” Erin says, irritated that someone would do that to you. “Why did they do it? I mean they had to have a reason.”  
“Nothing important.” You mumble, not looking at anyone.  
“They told Dyke that she was sleeping with professors for good grades.” Kevin piped up. You were surprised by his accent.   
“Kevin, you can't call people names.”  
“Isn't that her name? That's what they called her before they started beating her. They said she was sleeping with the professors because she spends so much time with them, but I thought you said she spends a lot of time here.” Everyone started at Kevin.   
“You were right, he is stupid.” You mumble to Holtzmann.   
“She throws a pretty nice punch. I think she messed up one guys jaw before they pinned her down. You begin to take shallow breaths again, unable to take the pain anymore. You jump off the table and crouch down as you feel the pain get worse as different muscles stretch.  
“We have to take her to the doctor.” Erin says.  
“N-no, I-I'm fine. You say as you clench your teeth. Spots form in your vision.  
“Nope, your going, come on, baby.” Patty says as she scoops you up Ike a small child. She, Abby, Erin, and Holtzmann take you to the infirmary.   
“I'm fine, I'm fine. Just take me to my dorm.” You say. “It's not important.” Holtzmann looks at you as you hold onto Patty’s denim shirt for dear life. Your eyes are shut tight. You feel a hand placed on your back and another forced between the fabric and your hand.   
“Look at me, kid.” Holtzmann says. You open your eyes. “It is important. You are important.” Her blue eyes are staring into yours.  
“Yo, doc!” Patty yells as she enters the building. Erin was holding the door, Abby had already stormed in ahead of everyone. There was already a boy with a bruised jaw sitting in the waiting room.  
“He's one of the guys that beat me up.” You whisper. Patty spins around to look at him. She hands you off to Holtzmann, who is surprisingly strong.   
“Take her back there, I've already contacted campus police. I'll keep the boy here.” The woman at the front desk says in a whisper. Holtzmann carries you into a room and sets you down on a bed. You feel frustrated that the campus police is getting involved.  
“I'm fine, just let me go to my dorm.” You say.  
“Come on, get checked out. Do it for Mama Holtz, mini me.” She says to you. Erin is standing in the doorway, uncomfortable at everything. Within an hour, a nurse has you checked out and has you ready to go home.   
“Do you have a roommate?” The nurse asks.   
“No, she's usually out partying.” You say.   
“You can stay in the lab with me.” Holtzmann offers.  
“I'd rather stay in my own bed.”  
“You'll have to spend the night here if you don't stay with Doctor Holtzmann.” The nurse says. You sigh.   
“Fine. Thanks, Holtzmann.” A police officer walks in the room and interviews you and Kevin. He then leaves and you are allowed to leave.   
“If you want, we can all bunk together.” Abby offers.   
“We can bunk in my dorm.” You suggest. “At least there's two beds.”  
“Sounds good, lets go.” Holtzmann smiles. You lead the group to your dorm. As you walk in the empty room, you immediately jump onto your bed, still feeling sore.   
“There's some blankets and stuff in that dresser.” You point to the wooden dresser. Erin sits on the empty bed.   
“I'm glad you're okay.” She says, not looking at you.  
“Thanks.” You mumble.   
“I'm a ghost!” Abby laughs as she walks around with a white sheet with flowers on it. Erin couldn't help but smile, neither could you.   
“That's cute when you're twelve, not when you're as old as you are. Then it's just sad.” Patty says as she takes the sheet.   
“Erin and I will take the empty bed.” Abby says. Erin looks at Holtzmann, she seems disappointed but doesn't say anything.  
“Kevin, Holtz, and I will take the floor.” Patty says as she spreads a sheet on the floor. They arrange themselves on the floor, say goodnight, and turn off the light. For an hour all is silent except for Erin and Abby’s snoring and Kevin mumbling to himself in his sleep. You stare t the ceiling until you feel someone climb into the small bed next to you.  
“Hey.” Holtzmann whispers.   
“Hey.” You say back.  
“Do you recognize me?”  
“Of course I do, you're Doctor Holtzmann, the Ghostbuster.” You try to look at her in the darkness. She smiles, but it's a sad smile.   
“Your memory isn't entirely back.” You give her a confused look.   
“Do you remember Alexia Holvmann?” You freeze at the name.   
“I try not to.” You sigh. She was your girlfriend t one point when you were younger. “She died in a freak accident in New York. Some kind of attack in an alley.” Your girlfriend had been on vacation up there.  
“I knew her. She worked for me the to months she was in New York. She was our assistant.” You say nothing. “She never stopped talking about you, even when she died, she told me to give you a message.”  
“How'd she die?” You ask. “You were there apparently.”  
“She said she loves you, and she wants to be happy with another woman. She wants you to know she died doing something she loves.”  
“How'd she die?”  
“I'll tell you in the morning.” Holtzmann shoves something in your hand. “She also wanted you to have this.” You know what it is without looking at it. It's her necklace, she always wore it.  
“Holtzmann, thank you.” You sigh. She pulls you close to her.  
“Of course.” She kisses your head. The two of you fall asleep in each other's arms.


	3. Chapter 3

“They're so cute!” You hear Patty whisper.   
“Shhh! You'll wake them up!” Abby whispers back.  
“We need to get them up, they have classes.” Erin says flatly, yet sharply.  
“Erin, no one but you teaches on Saturday, and the kid isn't even in that class.” Patty replies. You realize that you hear a weird and rhythmic beating in your ear. You open your eyes to see Abby, Patty, and Erin staring at you.  
“Morning.” Holtzmann says. You jump as you realize you were laying on her chest. You can't get over how calm you felt in her arms and how soothing her steady heartbeat was.  
“M-morning, Holtzmann.” You say, feeling your face turn red.  
“How's my pet feeling today?” She asks as the two of you sit up. She wraps her arms around you and plays with your hair. You know you should feel uncomfortable about being in bed with a doctor and having two other doctors and a librarian watching, but at the moment, the only uncomfortable factor is the two doctors and librarian watching.  
“I'm fine, sore, but fine.” You say. You notice everyone but you and Holtzmann are in new clothes.  
“What are we doin’ today?” Patty asks.  
“Same as usual?” Abby says.  
“We’ll all be in lab. Come up when you're ready.” Erin says, looking at Holtzmann the same way you and Alexia once looked at each other. There was silence between you and Holtzmann.  
“Holtzmann, is there something between you and Erin?” You finically ask as you get up and walk to your dresser. She sighs.  
“Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't, maybe there isn't, maybe there is.” She replies cryptically. You give her a flat look.   
“Straight answer.” You say, turning back to your dresser.  
“What do I get in return?” She purred.  
“My trust.” You take a red shirt out of a drawer.   
“I don't know.” She says seriously.   
“I think that's worth a lot, I don't trust many people, as you can tell.” You say.   
“No, I mean I don't know if there's anything between us. Maybe there was in the past, and maybe there still is now, but it's not equal. It's like the tables have flipped.”   
“Explain, please.”  
“When Erin and I first met, I flirted with her all the time and she either never got the hint or blew me off. Now, she sends me these signals like I used to send her, but I don't care. I mean I do, but not the way I once did.”  
“They say the average crush lasts only three or four months.”  
“What if it lasts longer?” She lets out a sigh as you grab a pair of jeans.  
“It's love. True or not, its love.” You say as you get dressed.   
“Do you believe in true love?”  
“No, not anymore. I don't think I believe in love anymore.” You say sadly as you put on Alexia's necklace.  
“Why not?”  
“When are you going to tell me about Alexia?” You change the subject.  
“When we get to the lab with everyone. I feel like it'll be better if everyone is there.”   
“Let's hurry up, then.” You smile at Holtzmann. It's a forced smile. The two of you get ready and hurry to the lab, it takes longer because the two of you avoid using the underground tunnels. Finically, you reach the lab.  
"There's the lovebirds." Patty winks. Abby gives her a look. They were all sitting at the table together drinking coffee and debating pizza toppings.  
"I want to know about Alexia." You say bluntly to all of them. They freeze and glance at Holtzmann.   
"Guys, this is our Alexia's girlfriend." Holtzmann says, avoiding everyone's eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

“Aunt Jill, are you sure this stuff is safe?” Alexia asked as she sat at Holtzmann’s desk opposite the scientist.  
“I am one hundred percent sure this is not safe.” Holtzmann grinned at the girl. She was like a miniature Holtzmann, the only difference was Alexia was younger and didn't have colored lenses in her glasses. Personality wise, they were totally different.  
“Yo, Alexia, come see this book before Holtz blows you up!” Patty called to her.  
“Sure, Patty!” Alexia smiled as she jumped off the chair and walked over to Patty. “What'd you find?”  
“This book is from the 1800’s, it's extremely rare.” Party said, trying to sound interesting. It was hard to match Holtzmann on a coolness level.  
“That's fascinating!” Alexia smiled towards Erin, who was solving, or attempting to solve, some sort of equation on the blackboard next to Erin's desk.  
“What are you thinkin’ about, baby girl?” Patty asked.  
“Patty, I've been here two months and I've seen their relationship build and crumble. It's so sad.” Alexia whispered.  
“Erin and Abby?”  
“No, Erin and Aunt Jill. Aunt Jill used to flirt with her all the time, now she just kind of ignores her and Erin is getting close to noticing. For a little bit, Erin seemed to become close to Aunt Jill, but now there's nothing. Not even a spark.”  
“They'll figure it out. How long did it take you and your girlfriend to figure it out?”  
“I knew the moment I met her, but she took forever to come out to the world. It was so adorable how nervous she was when she told me she liked me.” Alexia smiled as she played with her necklace.  
“Alexia, can you help us solve this equation?” Abby asked, disrupting Alexia’s thoughts.  
“I can try. You know I'm not a math major, right?”  
“Then why did we hire you?” Erin smiled.  
“Because I'm a broke college student, you said you needed a photographer and that's my major, and I’m Aunt Jill’s niece.”  
“Yes, we actually have a case later tonight you'll get to photograph.” Erin mumbled. Alexia walked over to the blackboard and stared at the problem written in white chalk.  
“We just can't figure out how our numbers don't line up correctly. We've been working on this for weeks!” Abby sighed as she sat down at Erin's desk.  
“You forgot to carry this three.” Alexia said bluntly. Abby and Erin looked at her while Patty laughed and Holtzmann pretended to work while trying hard not to laugh.  
“I need some soup.” Abby said tiredly.  
“Not until we finish this.” Erin said sternly. “It'll help us figure out what exactly happened in there.”  
“In where?” Alexia asked.  
“We traveled to the barrier, the thing that keeps our world separated from the world of the spirits.” Abby said as she stood up.  
“That sounds awesome.”  
“Try terrifying.” Erin said flatly.  
“Why don't you just send someone into the barrier again? Tie them to a weight and let them explore it and collect data and when they're done just pull them out?”  
“It doesn't quite work that way.” Erin said.  
“Or does it?” Abby asked, blue eyes aglow. “We did it, Erin.”  
“It also turned our hair white! It could have much worse effects on is or anyone else that goes in there.”  
“We won't know unless we try.” Abby grinned.  
“Hey, no. No one is going back there.” Patty said as she stood up and walked over to Abby, Erin, and Alexia. “It's not safe, we can't let ghosts loose in New York again, and it's just plain stupid.”  
“We can't loose you guys again.” Holtzmann said quietly as she joined the group. She walked over to Abby and wrapped her arms around her. “Please don't go back there.”  
“Alright, Holtzmann. I won't go back there. But I'd like to know what goes on in there.” Abby sighs.  
“I'll go.” Alexia says. Everyone gives her a surprised look.  
“No, that's a stupid idea.” Patty said.  
“But I'm younger than you guys my body will react differently to the barrier thing. If all you got was white hair, maybe I won't get anything.”  
“That's a possibility.” Erin mumbled.  
“I have a machine that can open the portal to the barrier.” Holtzmann mumbled.  
“Why the hell would you build that?” Patty looked at her.  
“I wanted to see if I could keep a ghost as a pet.” Holtzmann grinned.  
“No. We've been over this many times. No ghosts as pets.” Abby said before Patty could.  
“Okay, scold the blonde wonder later. Let's see what I can find in the barrier!” Alexia smiled.  
“I'll get to work on the machine.” Holtzmann said as she turned towards the stairs.  
“Where are you going?” Patty asked.  
“Machine is in the alley.”  
“Why?” Erin asked.  
“So, if it explodes, it'll only blow up half the building.” Holtzmann grinned before running off.  
“Well, that's a lot more safety than she usually puts in her standards.” Abby shrugged.  
“Are we not going to be concerned about this?” Party asked.  
“Apparently not.” Alexia replied.  
“Let's get you ready for the barrier.” Erin smiled as she led Alexia by the hand to a different floor of the firehouse. The two of them were alone. “You're about Holtzmann’s size, so you can wear her uniform.” She said as she handed Alexia the coveralls.  
“Cool, I'm a real Ghostbuster!” She grinned. “Hey, Erin, can I ask you something?”  
“Oh, um, sure.” Erin said nervously.  
“What is your relationship with my aunt?” Erin looked taken back.  
“I don’t know what you mean.” She avoided Alexia’s blue eyes. It hurt and calmed her how much they looked like Holtzmann’s. Except, Holtzmann’s eyes had something else to them, something hidden within them that Alexia didn’t have.  
“I think you do. I’ve been with you all for two months now, Aunt Jill was really into you, but you either never noticed or blew it off, and her love for you is starting to decay also because there is no point in going upstream without a purpose.” Alexia said as she began to put on the uniform.  
“I am not in love with your aunt.”  
“Prove it.” Alexia said, looking into Erin’s eyes. Erin’s blue eyes softened and she looked Alexia in the eye.  
“I can’t.”  
“Why not?”  
“Because I don’t know what I feel or what I’m supposed to feel.” She sighed as she forced herself to compose. “Why am I telling a kid this?”  
“Because this kid has a better love life than you and I’m not a kid.”  
“How is your girlfriend? Holtzmann hasn’t seen her since you two were younger.”  
“She doesn’t remember Aunt Jill, if that’s what you’re asking.”  
“That somewhat disappointing. You should bring her by someday, see if she remembers.”  
“There’s nothing important here for her to remember.”  
“She’ll learn someday.”  
“Maybe you’ll learn someday too.” Alexia stared into Erin’s blue eyes. “You’re passing up a chance at love, real love. Do you really want to throw it away because you’re afraid?” Erin was silent.  
“I have a chance with Kevin.” She mumbled.  
“Kevin is so stupid that if you put a mirror in front of him he’d have a conversation with his reflection. I know because Aunt Jill and I did that last week. He’s never going to catch the hint that you like him, nor is he ever going to like you back. Abby says he’s gay anyway.” Alexia finished putting on the uniform.  
“You look like a real Ghostbuster.” Erin smiled, trying to desperately change the subject.  
“The next generation.” Alexia smiled back, knowing exactly what Erin was doing.  
“Alright!” Holtzmann burst through the door. “The portal is up and ready!” She had a huge grin on her face. She paused when she saw Alexia in her uniform. “Too bad you have a weird last name. I don’t know why my brother changed his name.”  
“Because he’s wanted in forty-nine states or he blew someone up?” Patty asked as she came downstairs with Abby behind her. Abby was carrying a long rope.  
“Possibly.” Holtzmann smiled. “Are you excited for this, Alexia?”  
“I am, Aunt Jill.”  
“To the alley!” Abby shouted. Everyone eagerly went out the door and into the alley. There was excitement with a hint of anxiety in the air. The alley was a dingy place between the firehouse and another building. There were burn marks on both buildings from weapons gone right, misfired, and completely wrong.  
“Aunt Jill, how many times have you almost destroyed the world?” Alexia asked bluntly.  
“None.” Holtzmann replied just as blunt.  
“How many times have you almost destroyed New York?” Patty asked.  
“Are we talking in a day or forever?”  
“Never mind, I don’t wanna know.” Patty said, as she rolled her eyes.  
“Okay, so, my darling niece, you will enter this portal after we tie Abby’s rope around you. You will take this device,” She shoved a black canister that looked like the original ghost trap in Alexia’s arms. “and we will send you into the portal. All you have to do is hold onto that box and not die.”  
“Holtzmann, what are the chances of death?” Abby asked.  
“Um, I’m not sure.”  
“Jillian, you can’t send your niece in there.” A familiar voice said.  
“Mentor!” Holtzmann grinned as she ran up to Rebecca like an excited child.  
“It’s too risky, even for me.” Rebecca said flatly.  
“But-“  
“No. You can’t send people into the barrier. It’s too dangerous. It’s a miracle your girlfriend and friend made it in and out alive.”  
“I’m, uh, I’m not her girlfriend.” Erin said. “Ouch!” Abby had pinched Erin’s side.  
“Hi, Auntie Gorin.” Alexia smiled to the woman.  
“Hello, Alexia. How is my granddaughter doing? I hear you two are dating?”  
“She is doing fine, and yes, we’re dating.” Alexia spoke respectively to Rebecca, after all, she helped Holtzmann baby sit her many times.  
“I wish she would come visit me. I practically raised her after all, with some unneeded help from a mad scientist.” Rebecca said, looking at Holtzmann. “Anyway, I’m glad she settled down with a nice respectable girl like you.”  
“Thank you, Auntie.”  
“Now, Jillian, you cannot send anyone into that portal.” Rebecca began to scold Holtzmann. Alexia turned her attention to the machine. It looked like an empty metal box that smelled awful. Alexia soon realized it was made from an old dumpster.  
“Hey, Abby!” Alexia whispered. “Start the machine!”  
“Get out of it first.” Abby replied. Alexia stepped out of the dumpster and waited on Abby to try to figure out how to start it.  
“Abby, read those.” Erin pointed to a paper taped to the control panel. “It says ‘instructions’ in German!”  
“Okay, you need to stop with languages. First, that doesn’t say instructions, and second, that isn’t even German.” Patty whispered. Rebecca was still lecturing Holtzmann on rules and how some aren’t meant to be broken and how this could get her in huge trouble-again.  
“Stop flipping random switches!” Erin hissed.  
“I’m not! They’re numbered!” Abby hissed back.  
“Stop hissing like snakes and leave that contraption alone!” Rebecca glared at everyone.  
“Auntie, I want to go.” Alexia said bravely to the woman that towered over her.  
“You do?”  
“Yes, I do.”  
“You know it could kill you, right?”  
“Yes, I know.”  
“I don’t mean quickly. You could die a slow and painful death of be left in the barrier forever.”  
“I know. It won’t stop me.” Rebecca looked at the girl.  
“You are a Holtzmann.” She sighed. She waved her yellow gloved hand at Holtzmann to start the machine.  
“My last name is Holvman.”  
“Your true name is Holtzmann. That’s why Jillian is your aunt.” She sighs. “If you truly want to do this, I cannot stop you.”  
“I know.” There’s silence. “Auntie, if something does happen-”  
“No, we won’t discuss that.”  
“But-”  
“It’s ready to go!” Holtzmann smiles. Patty, Abby, and Erin stand as far away from it as possible. The dumpster seemed to be filled with a green, red, and purple twisting liquid.  
“Hold still so we can get the knot tight.” Abby said as she and Erin began knotting the rope around Alexia’s waist.  
“Aunt Jill, here.” Alexia said as she took off her favorite necklace. It was a heart locket with a picture of her, Holtzmann, Rebecca, and you. You and Alexia were only a few years old. You had never seen the picture before. Alexia never let you near her locket. “If something happens to me, find her and give this to her.” Holtzmann took the locket and placed it in her pocket.  
‘Nothing is going to happen.”  
“I know.” She hugged her aunt as tightly as she could. “I love you.”  
“Love you too.” Holtzmann whispered. Alexia looked at her aunt and her aunt’s friends one last time. She looked at the canister in her hands and walked toward the dumpster. She reached out to touch the liquid and quickly plunged herself into it while Patty, Abby, and Erin held onto the rope.  
“This is so cool!” Alexia breathed. It was like a giant tunnel with spirits of different colors floating around.  
“Can you hear me?” Holtzmann’s voice came through the canister.  
“Yeah, yeah I can!” Alexia didn’t know why she was so relieved to her Holtzmann’s voice.  
“Alright, so you’ll just have to be there for about a minute, and then we’ll get you out. This machine is already collection data. All you have to do is hold onto it.”  
“Awesome.”  
“Oh, the, don’t eaten.” The machine started crackling out.  
“What? Aunt Jill?”  
“Can me?”  
“Aunt Jill?”  
“I you. Me?”  
“Aunt Jill?”  
“Calm, be ay.”  
“Ho ing n?” Erin’s voice could be heard saying.  
“Pe! Ull ope!” Patty could be heard yelling.  
“Al, ay, ay!” Abby could be heard frantically yelling. Alexia could feel something putting pressure on her body, it seems to quickly increase. Her muscles tightened and it became hard to breathe. Soon, she couldn’t breathe at all. She held onto the canister as tightly as she could, it was beginning to bend under the pressure around them. She notices a red trail forming around her. She realized it was her blood. She was scared, but at the same time, she wasn’t scared. She felt something in her body break. She wanted to scream in pain, but she couldn’t breathe.  
“Tell her I love her, and I want her to be happy with another woman. I want her to know I died doing something I loved.” Alexia said, using the last of her oxygen to say into the box.  
“Alexia?” Holtzmann’s voice rang through. The transmission seemed to clear up. “What’s going on? We can’t read you!” There was no answer as Alexia lost consciousness.  
“Jillian, I told you this was a bad idea!” Rebecca said, somewhat frantic. Holtzmann became even more worried at her mentor showing fear.  
“Pull faster!” Holtzmann yelled to Erin, Abby, and Patty as she joined them, yanking on the rope. Within seconds, Alexia was pulled from the dumpster. The canister was still in the portal, but it wasn’t important.  
“Alexia? Can you hear us?” Abby asked as she dropped the rope. “Erin, call an ambulance!” Rebecca was the first at Alexia’s side. She ripped her gloves off and felt for a pulse. Holtzmann did the same. They looked at each other without saying as word.  
“D-do you think?”  
“Collapsed lungs.” Rebecca said quietly as she looked at Alexia. Holtzmann cringed.  
“What does that mean?” Patty asked.  
“A human can survive one collapsed lung, but two is…” She trailed off. Abby placed at arm around Erin, trying to think of what to do or say.  
“I’ll make a call.” Abby whispered as she walked away. Everything moved in a fast blur for Holtzmann. There was an ambulance, a crowd, police, some of the mayor’s ken dolls, and many other things. Before she knew it, it was night.  
“You okay, Holtzy?” Patty asked. The four women were sitting at a table in silence, they had been for the last half an hour.  
“We’re going to find her.” Holtzmann said.  
“Who?” Erin asked. Holtzmann took the necklace out of her pocket and placed it on the table.  
“We’re going to find Alexia’s girlfriend. I don’t know how, but we’ll find her. Who knows, maybe she’ll remember me.” Holtzmann forced a small smile.  
“Hey, guys, there’s a guy on the phone from a school.” Kevin called, not fully aware of what was going on, as usual. Erin took the call. A few minutes later, she returns to the group.  
“We’re going to a college about three hours away. There’s some kind of ghost haunting the campus. The dean wants this to be kept quiet, so at the beginning of the semester, we’ll be teachers and Patty will be a librarian.”  
“What school?”  
“That same school Alexia went to.” Erin said quietly.  
“My granddaughter graduated early from high school, it’ll be her first semester at that university.” Rebecca said.  
“Two birds, one stone.” Abby mumbled.  
“Let’s get ready.” Holtzmann said, her voice filled with pain and determination.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are eighteen and Holtzmann is around thirty-two.

And that’s how we all ended up here.” Patty sighs. The room seemed to turn cold and depressing as the story came to an end. You were silent as you touched the necklace.   
“I’m sorry.” Abby whispers to you. You didn’t know how to feel.  
“I can’t believe this.” You say, feeling rage build up. “This is a bunch of fucking bull shit!” You yell. It feels good to yell. Everyone looks at you with surprise, except Holtzmann, who looks like she mentally shut down about five minutes ago.  
“I understand that you’re upset.” Erin says.  
“No, no you fucking don’t! You don’t understand any of this. I’ve been beaten and abused and told how worthless I am on an almost daily basis. I was happy, I finally found the one, the one girl I could tell anything to, the one girl I knew wouldn’t hurt me, the one girl I knew I would happily love and spend the rest of my life with. You all took her away from me.” You force back tears. “You took away the only person I ever loved and who ever loved me in return.” You feel the contraption Holtzmann made for you on your neck. You rip it off, causing the string to cut the back of your neck. You ignore the slight pain and toss the device onto the table, it stops just inches from Holtzmann. She doesn’t seem to notice. You storm off and rush back to your dorm. The cold spring air burns your nose, throat, and lungs. You ignore it. Within minutes, you reach the wooden door separating you from your room. You twist the doorknob, knowing it was locked. You reach for the contraption Holtzmann gave you, you kept your key taped to the back of it. You pause as you remember that it’s not there. “Oh yeah, I got rid of it.” You sigh to yourself. You lean your back against the door and slide down. You hug your knees to your chest and silently cry. All the emotions you bottled up from losing Alexia and everything was finally let out. You reached on your head for your hat when you felt like you couldn’t cry anymore. “T-they took my hat. They n-never gave it b-back.” You whisper as you begin to cry again. You are an emotional wreck. Anything and everything could set you into another fit of crying. You didn’t even hear someone coming towards you, or when they sat down next to you.  
“Want to be broken together?” A woman’s voice asked you. You didn’t answer. She sighed. You looked up in time to see Holtzmann pull you into an embrace. Still in her arms, she pulls you to your feet and unlocks your door. She leads you in and the two of you sit on your bed.   
“I’m not my grandma, I have emotions.” You choke out in a high-pitched sob. Holtzmann lets out a soft chuckle as she holds you tighter. You bury your face in her shirt and wrap your arms around her neck.  
“I know, I know.” Holtzmann whispers to you. “You’re a lot cuter than your grandmother. You kind of remind me of your mother before drugs, she had emotions too.”  
“Did you date my mother or something?”  
“Yes, actually, I did when I was older. I knew your mom my whole life, she even babysat me on occasion. I also remember when you were born.”  
“You have no idea how weird that sounds.” You say, too tried to really care about anything. Holtzmann lays down and you lay on top of her, she’s still holding onto you tightly and you place your head on her chest. You know you should feel mad, but you just feel tired and being in Holtzmann’s arms and hearing her heart makes you feel safe.  
“I was the first one to hold you. I was about fourteen.”  
“Why didn’t my mother hold me, or my father?”  
“Um, well, I don't quite know the best way to put it.”  
“I already know my mother didn't want me by the time I was four. Grandma took care of me most of my life.”  
“And you turned out very well for being raised by an emotionally vacant scientist!” Holtzmann laughs gently. She rubs her thumb against your arm as she tries to think of the right words to say.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wrote this chapter like two weeks go, but I guess it's school and everything I forgot to post it. My apologies!

“Doctor Gorin, the hospital called. They said it'll be any minute.” A fourteen year old Jillian Holtzmann said as she wandered back into the lab of Rebecca Gorin. The rain pounding on the roof made the sound of electricity buzzing seem soft.   
“Jillian, I can't leave this experiment. It's too dangerous to leave unsupervised.” Gorin said from one of the many crowded workbenches. “You go, and be there for her. I'll be there as soon as I can.”  
“Who am I going for?” Jillian asked innocently. Gordon turned from her work to look at her young student.  
“Whoever you think needs you more.” Jillian nodded and hurried out into the storm. She jumped on her bike and raced to the hospital three blocks way.  
“I'm here on behalf of Rebecca Gorin.” Jillian said as she rushed into the hospital soaking wet. A nurse looked at her like she was crazy, but led her outside of a room.   
“Wait here.” Her voice sounded like she smoked cigarettes by the carton. She walked in the room, there was yelling and cursing. Then, the woman reappeared. “Wait out here until they let you in.” She walked off. Within five minutes, a man in scrubs poked his head it the door. Jillian looked up at him with big eyes.   
“Come on in.” He said gently. A baby could be heard crying. Jillian walked silently into the room.  
“Jilly, do yourself a favor and never have kids.” Rebecca’s daughter grumbled. She looked tried.   
“Do you want to hold your baby?” A nurse asked, holding a small bundle in her arms.   
“Hell no, get that thing out of here!”  
“Can I hold the kid?” Jillian asked.   
“Go ahead.” Gorin’s daughter grumbled. “Just like my mother, you're only here to see the thing that ruined my body and life.”  
“I'm here for who needs me most.” The nurse placed the bundle in Jillian’s arms. Jillian looked at the small baby screaming in her arms. “They're not as cute as they look in books.” Jillian wrinkled her nose as she held the baby tighter. The nurse let out a laugh.   
“She doesn't look like her no good father, does she?” Gorin’s daughter growled.  
“I wouldn't know.” Jillian said softly. “Hi, I'm Jillian, but you can call me Holtzmann. I'm good friends with your grandma.” Jillian whispered to the baby, who quickly stopped crying. Jillian placed her finger in the baby’s hand and smiled when she gripped her finger. She knew it was only a reflex, but it was cute. Jillian looked at Gorin’s daughter, she was asleep.  
“That poor baby, born on a stormy night into a world of people who don't want her.” The nurse whispered. “Would you like me to take the baby?”  
“Can I hold her until Doctor Gorin gets here? I have a niece who is about a year old, she doesn't let me hold her like this.” Jillian was fascinated by the baby.   
“Go ahead.” The nurse smiled.  
“She has people who want her, Doctor Gorin wants her, and I think she's pretty cool.” Before anything else could be said, Doctor Gorin walked into the room. She shot her sleeping daughter a glare and sat next to Jillian.   
“What did she name the baby?” Gorin asked the nurse. The nurse handed her a form. “Oh, that's a, um, lovely name.” She gave the paper back. “Hello, granddaughter. You picked quite a night to be born.” Gorin said flatly to the baby. She took the newborn from Jillian’s arms.   
“Doctor Gorin, what's going to happen to her? Your daughter doesn't want her.”  
“I will take her in when her mother tires of her. I will raise her better than I raised her mother.” Gorin sighed. She looked at Jillian. “This will not be easy. Some of our experiments will be put on hold. Feel free to find someone else to help you and guide you. I can recommend some-”  
“No, I don't want someone else. I want you.” Jillian said, almost in tears. “I want to help with your granddaughter, too. I help with my siblings a lot.”  
“Very well then, Jillian. But, feel free to leave for another mentor at any time.” Gorin said with a slight smile. She looked at the baby in her arms. “Maybe you'll like science. You'd be a good match for Jillian, I'm sure.” She thought.


	7. Chapter 7

“Holtzmann, you there?” You wave a hand in front of her blank face. She snaps back to reality.  
“I'm here.” She tightens her embrace on you.  
“Can I ask you something?” Holtzmann hums in reply. “Do you miss her?”  
“Her who?”  
“My mother.”  
“I miss who she used to be.”   
“Me too.” You're silent for a moment. "Is there something wrong with me?” You ask, you don't really want Holtz to answer, but at the same time you do.  
“You're too perfect for this world.” She replies instantly.  
“Why doesn't anyone want me? Why can't I keep love?” You sigh. Holtzmann tightens her grip on you.  
“People do want you. Abby, Patty, and Erin adore you. Alexia loved you, your grandmother loves you in her own weird and vacant way. As for love, it isn't something you keep. It's something you have to pass around and continue giving.” You're silent for a while. “If you want to back out, knowing what you do, none of us will hold it against you.”  
“Alexia loved you, all of you. She'd never let me hear the end of it if I quit on her aunt and her friends.” You smile.  
“Keep your head up, buttercup.” Holtzmann laughs gently.   
“What did you just say?” You ask as you sit up and look at her.   
“Keep your head up, buttercup.” She repeats. It sounds familiar. You've heard it before, a long time ago. You don't know where you heard it, though. “It's an expression, don't overthink it.” Holtzmann ruffles your hair as she sits up.   
“I know, but I've heard it before.” Her eyes go wide.  
“You have?” There's a light in her eyes you can't distinguish. Why has the phrase sparked that light?  
“You know something I don't.” You glare at her.   
“I'm a doctor, I know a lot of things you don't.” She smiles.   
“You know what I mean.” Her smile turns into a grin.   
“Are you going to stay with us?” She asks.  
“What do you know?”  
“Are you staying with us?” She repeats.   
“Yes. What do you know?” You say in irritation. In a few swift movements, Holtzmann places your favorite hat on your head, her contraption around your neck, and a kiss on your cheek.  
“Don't overthink it. See you in the lab.” She says with a wink before quickly exiting your room.


	8. Chapter 8

“Okay, so I need you to drink this and tell me if you feel funny.” Holtzmann says as she hands you a can of fruit punch and adds a few drops of liquid to it.  
“Will I die?” You ask, looking into the can.  
“I’m not sure. Let’s hope not.” She says as she writes something down on a clipboard. You shrug and pick up the can. Before you can take a drink of it, Erin walks by and takes it out of your hand.  
“Holtzmann, no experimentation on the students.” She says as she places the can in a hazmat container.  
“She’s not a student, she’s a Ghostbuster.” Holtzmann pouts.  
“You’re not allowed to experiment on other Ghostbusters either. Remember that time you tested edible slime on Erin without her knowledge?” Patty asks, not looking up from her book. Erin gags at the memory, causing Holtz to smirk.  
“What did you do?” You whisper as Erin rushes out of the room.  
“Heh, let’s just say Erin almost gave birth.”  
“Wait, you have to tell me that story.” You say confused. Was Erin pregnant at one time?  
“It’s not what you think it is.” Holtzmann says, scribbling something else on her clipboard. She falls silent as she bounces around in her chair and makes notes for herself. She jumps on a chair with wheels and wheels herself to her lab. You look at Patty.  
“Patty, was Erin pregnant?” You ask her.  
“Erin’s pregnant?” Abby asks as she walks in the room with styrofoam containers in her arms.  
“No, Erin ain’t pregnant.” Patty sets down her book. You sit next to her as Abby hands you each a container. She sets one next to you, where Holtzmann always sits, one next to herself, where Erin sits, and one in front of herself. You look at curiously at Patty.  
“Come on, Patty, you gotta tell me the story!” You say, you had to know what happened.  
“Holtzmann did this experiment with ectoplasm and what it does to the human body when consumed. Long story short, she hid some in Erin’s food and it somehow grew inside Erin. It was reforming inside her, creating something. We aren’t sure what.” Abby says.  
“I have it in a jar if you want to see it.” Holtzmann says as she wheels back into the room.  
“I totally want to see it.” You smile. “How did the ectoplasm take on a new form while in the human stomach?”  
“Well, spirits can move through objects. So can the slime. The slime was somehow able to make its way from Erin’s stomach to her-”  
“Lady parts.” Holtzmann snickers, interrupting Abby, who rolls her eyes in return.  
“Yes, where it continued to try to manifest.” Abby finishes.  
“She was ready to kill Holtzy. Screaming out the window how she knocked her up.” Patty laughs. Holtzmann grins as she thinks of how funny it must have looked for a woman to yell that to another woman from a second story window.  
“So you essentially created a ghost baby?” You ask.  
“Kind of, but not exactly. That’s the idea of it though.” Holtzmann shrugs.  
“What happened to it? I mean, I know it’s in a jar somewhere, but how did you get it out of Erin?”  
“We raised her stress levels so the thing had no choice but to leave.” Patty says.  
“I bet that wasn’t hard.” You mumble. “How’d it leave?”  
“You’re full of questions today. You’ve hardly talked for weeks.” Abby smiles.  
“This is super cool though. How’d it leave?” You press.  
“I just kind of floated out, like how it got in.”  
“What if it had stayed until it was done?”  
“We aren’t sure, we haven’t tested that.” Abby says, wondering the same thing herself now.  
“That’s a good question. We should definitely test that.” Holtzmann mumbles.  
“No, you aren’t allowed to experiment on people, especially after that.” Patty scolds. Erin returns to the room looking pale.  
“You okay?” You ask her as she sits down next to Abby. Everyone opens the containers that hold their lunches. Erin nods.  
“That story always makes me sick.” She mumbles.  
“It’s a pretty good story.” You smile.  
“You guys told her?”  
“It’s a good story.” Holtz shrugs through a mouthful of food.  
“Do we have any plans after lunch?” You ask, changing the subject before Holtzmann either chokes from trying to talk while eating or gets herself in trouble.  
“Gadget testing.” Holtzmann smiles.  
“You’ll need a helmet.” Abby smiles.  
“Jillian, don’t forget that the two of you have class later today.” Erin points her fork at the two of you.  
“I’ll just cancel it.” Holtz shrugs.  
“No more canceling! Those kids show up to the library and cause me more work.” Patty says.  
“You’ve already cancelled too many classes.” Abby says. “That’s why you were demoted from instructor to assistant at Higgens.” Abby reminds her.  
“That was a promotion because you did all the teaching and I had all the fun.” She winks.


	9. Chapter 9

“So, what does this gadget do?” You ask as Holtzmann places a gun in your hand. You look at her through the softball helmet Erin put on you before you went to test gadgets.   
“In simple terms, it’s a proton packless proton gun. It creates its own proton beam without the use of a proton pack for power.” Holtzmann explains as she hits a button on her workbench. A small target appears. “Just aim and shoot when you’re ready.” She smiles. You pain the rifle-like weapon at the target and just before you can pull the trigger, Erin barges into the room.  
“Jillian, what the hell are you thinking? She can’t shoot that in here!” Erin yells as she places her hands on your shoulders.   
“It’s not going to do anything, just hit that target.” Holtzmann shrugs as she pops a Pringle into her mouth.   
“Won’t it go beyond the target?” You ask. “It is just a piece of paper.” You say, realizing the flaw in the plan.  
“No, there’s a metal strong enough behind it so it won’t go through.”  
“This isn’t safe, especially for a child!”   
“I’m not a child.” You mumble.  
“You’re too young to die!”   
“She won’t die.” Holtzmann rolls her eyes. She walks over to you and takes the proton gun from you. Erin pushes you several feet back.  
“Do not shoot that in here, Jillian!” Erin warns. “It’s not safe and someone will get hurt.”  
“It will be fine! Learn to chill out sometimes.” Holtzmann smirks as she aims the weapon at the target. “It’s perfectly safe!” She pulls the trigger causing a red beam to shoot out of the gun and onto the target. It hits just right of the center. “Duck!” Holtzmann yells as the stream bounces off the metal behind the target. She throws herself to the ground. Time seems to slow as you watch it head for you and Erin. Your reflexes cause you to tackle Erin to the ground, but not before the beam hits you in the shoulder.   
“Y/N!” Erin yelps as she pushes you off her. You sit up slightly, disoriented.  
“See? She didn’t die.” Holtzmann smiles as she stands up. You feel a burning pain in your left arm. It feels like someone took a red-hot knife and stabbed your arm. You clench your teeth in pain, trying desperately to not scream or cry.  
“Yo, what’s going on?” Patty bursts into the room. “I heard yelling!”  
“Is everyone okay?” Abby asks behind her.   
“Are you alright?” You ask Erin as you feel something ooze between your fingers. You’re pretty sure it’s melted flesh. You can imagine your arm slowly melting off.   
“I’m fine, more importantly, are you alright? Let me see your arm.” Erin says as she tries to see your wound.  
“No, I’m fine.” You say through gritted teeth.  
“Jillian, I told you this was dangerous!” Erin scolds the blonde, who walks over to her desk. She writes something down, pulls something out of a drawer, and sets it on the desk.   
“Patty, bring her over here.” She says, ignoring Erin. Patty gently picks you up in her arms, you don’t like being carried. She sets you on the cold metal desk. “Remove your hand or I’ll shoot you again.” Holtzmann says to you. You glare at her and take your hand off your wound.   
“Ew.” Patty mumbles as she looks at the melted skin that has stuck to your hand. You look at your hand and see it also has some blood on it.  
“Oh my god.” Erin gasps at seeing your hand. “Jillian, we could get sued for this!” Holtzmann rolls her eyes as she digs through the box she placed on the desk.  
“This is going to hurt. A lot.” She says to you. She takes a tube out of the box and squirts a blue liquid onto her hand. She rubs it into your wound. You hold back a yelp of pain and it feels like the one burning knife has been upgraded to multiple burning axes. She then takes a roll of gauze out of the box and a cotton pad. She places the pad over the wound and wraps your arm in the gauze. She then takes a step back to admire her work.  
“Jillian, are you insane?” Erin asks her.  
“I made this stuff myself. I’ve been burned by my own guns plenty of times. It’s perfectly safe.”  
“I don’t exactly trust those words.” You mumble.  
“Well, you’re going to have to because you have class soon.” Abby smiles slightly.  
“Figures. I almost got killed and you’re still sending me to class.” You roll your eyes.  
“I can only cover for you for so long.” Abby rolls her eyes. “They’ll only believe that I have so many errands for so long.”  
“They already stopped believing the wonton soup thing.” You reply.  
“But that one’s true.” Patty smiles.


End file.
